Audio Tour: Henry Darger — Selected Works

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6 Episode 3 Place not mentioned. Escape during violent storm, still fighting though persed for long distance

"One of the more perplexing and mysterious characters in In The Realms of the Unreal is the transgender figure. There's been a lot of speculation about why Darger would create a transgender figure in his war story. It's likely he was trying to embody masculine powers of warring into his children. In other words, in a male-dominated, gender-specific culture such America pre-WWII, it's likely he somehow intuitively understood that in order for these kids to win the war, which they did, they would have to have that male authority and power to do so."

About Our GuideBrooke Davis Anderson, director and curator of the Contemporary Center at the American Folk Art Museum since 1999, is responsible for the care and cultivation of the contemporary objects by self-taught artists in the permanent collection as well as new acquisitions and exhibitions. Brooke is also involved with programming and collaborative initiatives of The Contemporary Center and its special division, The Henry Darger Study Center.

Photographs, image captions, and accession information provided by the American Folk Art Museum. Reprinted with permission.